The demand for 3-D printing technology will increase in the future as a result of faster equipment speeds, new and enhanced materials, more public and business awareness of the benefits of the technology, advances in printing technology, and improvements in the quality of 3-D–manufactured products.

The information technology market research firm IT TechEx predicts that the additive manufacturing (AM) industry will increase in value from $9.87 billion in 2019 to $31 billion by 2029. But the global consultancy firm McKinsey & Company sees an even brighter future for the field. It predicts that that the “overall economic impact created by AM could be much higher, reaching $100 billion to $250 billion by 2025, if adoption across industries continues at today’s rate. Most of that potential will come from the aerospace and defense, automotive, medical, and consumer-goods industries.”

Although the field of 3-D printing is growing quickly, it’s important to remember that it will not replace traditional manufacturing processes (especially the mass-production of large products) in the short-term. “It’s not going to change all of manufacturing overnight,” says Dr. Lonnie Love, corporate research fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in an article about the trend at the Web site of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. “It’s not going to displace casting. It’s not going to displace welding. But it’s going to allow you to do some things that you’ve never been able to do before.”

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